Power fleshing machines



llune 28, 1960 LE ROY F, JcNAs l 2,942,448

POWER FLESHING MACHINES Filed March l0, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Afro/www5.

June 28, 1960 LE ROY F. JoNAs 2,942,448

POWER FLESHING MACHINES Filed March l0, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Arron/Ens'. -Ega 8 (vn-r..

PowER FLEsHlNG MAcnnsEs :Le Roy F. Jonas, Wausau, Wis., assignor to Jonas Sons, luc., Wausau, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Filed Mar. 10, 1958, Ser. No; 720,341

s claims. l(Cl. 69-46) This invention relates'to .improvements in power desh- .ingpmachinea and more particularly to a ileshing` machine which is adapted to eciently remove the flesh frornthe fpelts of mink and other fur ,bearing animals.

.It has heretofore been the general` practice inthe fur nfanming industry tfo flesh the `animal pelts by hand,`which is a .time-consuming-and laborious rtask and which rel .quires a considerableamount of skill. `Itis therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a vpower operated -eshing machine which permits the fleshing fof a great number of pelts in a relativelyr short time,

and with a minimum o-f effort andskill.

pelt `may;lne-readily controliledsby the-operator of the imachine `to assurea clean and thorough '.fleshing job.

lAfurther object of theA invention is .to provide a power .operated lleshing unit which is mounted ona'longitudinally movable carriage, ,the movability of ,the unit vper- .mittingan even and uniform fleshingof the entire length `of the pelt.

.A further object-is toprovide a ileshing machine where- .in a. rotatable, double pelt holding device .is employed, atherebyenabling the operator of the .machineto work fon and: flesh one pelt while. an assistant 4removes and re` u nited States Patent C places the other v.previously fleshedpelt, with a consequent saving iny operating time.

'.,AMfurther objectl is to provide an electrically'. driven A still further object is to provide a power .iieshing rmachine which is mounted on an adjustable framework, .thereby permitting the adjustment `ofthe .machine .tosuit .the height .and convenience of the operator.

Further objects .of `the invention .are to' provideaiieshling machine which is relatively vsimple in designiand construction, which is exceedingly durable andlong lastvving, and which is well suited for itsintended purposes.

With the above and other `objects in view, the invention consists of the powereshing machine, and all equivalents and modifications thereof, and -all of its parts and combinations, as set forth in the following specification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, in vwhich the same ,refe ference characters-.designate .thesame parts yinf-al1 lof ;the :views: v

Fig. l is a perspective` view of thezimproved power leshing machine; i

Figi. 2l is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the motor )carriage in front elevation together with @the-motor andeshing blade attachment;

Fig. 3 is `yan enlarged fragmentary sectionall view Vof Y :the-motor caniage,togetherwith the motor and fleshing'- icc lblade attachment, taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1, and .showv ing, in broken lines, `thejlever action .of the carriage guide handle;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged rear View of the fleshing .blade and slide. holder, with a portion .of the .blade .broken awaytoshow the drive rod which actuates thesame;

Fig. 5' is an enlarged inverted plan view of the motor carriage;

Fig. .6. is anenlarged top View` of the double pelt holding device;

Fig. 7 is an .end view of the pelt holding device, taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an opposite .end View of the peltholding-.device, taken fon the line 8-8 of Fig. 6; and

` Fig. 9 is an .enlarged fragmentary side view of thepelt holder locking mechanism.

.Referring-first to Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, it will appear that the eshing machine comprises in general a rectangular base frame .15 supported by legs' 16, and .having a pair of horizontal, longitudinal top rails 17. Aliat va fleshing blade 23. `Said .eshing blade 23 has a short :horizontalstroke andiis driven by the electric motor`21 .through a `reciprocating drive shaft 33.

.Attachedto the rear .of the framework 15, and project- .ing vertically .thereabove, are bracketed supporting :arms 24 and 25 which are adapted to .frevolubly carry anlelo'ngated spool 26. The Yspool 26 carries a pair of removable, .diametrically opposed poles 2.7 and Z7', on-each of which polesv ia 'pelt may bemounted forfleshing, as

"will'be A'more fully described hereinafter.

When the pelts. have been properly positioned on'the poles 27 and 27lthe eshing blade 23 may bev tilted rearwardly to an Aengaging position with relation to the `pelt carriedon the forward pole 27, and the eshing operation commenced.

Referring again to the ybase frame 15 illustrated lin,

Fig. '1, said frame ispreferably fortifiedY of steel to provide maximum Astrength and durability, but other materials lmay alsobe used if desired. The legs 16 are independently adjustable, being provided with slidablef extensions 16 and screw type clamping means 28, thereby permitlting the raising or lowering of the entire assemblage to adapt it to the convenience of the operator. A fat tray 29 is `attached to, and 'supportedl between, the legs 16, and is designed to catch and-retain the severed flesh and drippings from the pelts, to prevent the same from litter'- ing the floor. The top rails 17 are L-shaped in cross- `section fand are fbolt'edor otherwise rigidly connected to thelegs 16'.

'The flat rectangular carriage 18 is supported on the Irails '17 by means of wheels, the outermost'whe'els v19 having peripheral grooves for straddling the vertical leg ofthe outermost rail' 17, and the inner wheels '19l being flanged von vone side to insure their proper engagement .with the rear rail. Itv has been found'that the emplyi ment of grooves in all of the wheels would be unsatisfactory forl the reason that said' wheels would bind `in the event of any uneveness or variation inthe spacebetween the rails. The present arrangement, on the other hand, insures the proper positfioningof the carriagewithout danger of binding or of inhibiting the mobility ofthe carriage.

Single wheels 30 are carried adjacent-both the outermost and rear edge of theunderside of said carriageyas -appearsin-Fig.` 5,` and are attached to the carriage by handle.

means of coiled springs 31 and pivotal arms 32. As shown in Fig. 2, said wheels may be moved downwardly and brought into engagement with the underside of said rails 17, where they are held fast against the tension of said springs 31, and whereby they provide clamping means for retaining the carriage iirmly on said rails. The rotatable nature of the wheels 30 permits the free movement of the carriage along said rails. To remove the carriage, as for repairs or the like, it is merely necessary to spring said wheels 30 out of their clamping position, and to lift the carriage from the frame.

The carriage 18 includes a marginal portion 41 and a table portion 34, the latter being tiltable on oppositely disposed axial bolts 3S. As will best be seen in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, a guide handle 36 projects outwardly from the marginal portion 41 of said carriage and a second, longer guide handle 37 is positioned directly above said first The handle 37 is pivotally mounted on an up'- right bracket 38 and has its inner end attached to the edge of said tiltable table 34 by means of links 39 and 40. As shown in broken lines in Fig. 3, the downward movement of the free end of said handle 37 raises the outer edge of the table 34 and rotates said table about its pivotal axes 35. Stop bars 42 and 43 are provided on the underside of the table 34 to arrest the tilting movement of said table at a predetermined point.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the underside of the carriage 18 includes an electric switch or circuit breaker designed to permit the turning of the power oir' and on through the manipulation of` the aforementioned guide handle 37. Said switch consists of a plate 44 affixed to the underside of the tiltable table 34, and an adjacent plate 45 n the rigid marginal carriage portion 41, said plates being formed of a non-conducting material. The plate 44 has a metal conducting strip 46 extending forwardly therefrom and plate 45 has a shorter metal conducting strip 47. Normally, the strip 46 extends beneath strip 47 and is spaced a short distance therebelow, as for example one-fourth inch. A cable 48, carrying the electric wires and leading from the source of electricity to the electric motor unit 21, is attached to the underside of said carriage adjacent said switch and has one of its wires 49 connected to both conducting strips 46 and 47. As will be readily appreciated, unless and until there is connection between conductors 46 and 47, a complete circuit is not eiected and the machine is idle.

The tilting movement of the table 34, through the downward movement of the handle 37, as hereinabove described, causes contact between the conducting strips 46 and 47, the strip 46 attached to said table moving upwardly to engage the immobile strip 47, and it is through this means that the electric current may be controlled. A second switch t? (Fig. 3), of the'type ordinarily utilized on similar electric motors, is carried on the motor casing 21 and provides a supplemental safeguard, the closing of both switches being necessary to operate the machine.

The particular switch arrangement employed on the underside of the carriage in the present invention has been described herein in considerable detail but it is only by way of example and other arrangements suitable for the described purposes may be substituted. A solenoid switch, for example, might be utilized with equal success and practicability. The feature to be emphasized is that the power may be turned off through the release of the carriage guide handle 37. It has been found that this innovation prevents the oveheating of the motor, as the operator frequently releases the handle in order to manually rotate the pelts, or perform some other task requiring the use of his hands. The release of said handle 37 causes the table 34 and attached conducting strip 46 to return to their normal horizontal position, thereby breaking the electric circuit and providing frequent cooling off periods for the motor. This feature is especially important inthe fur farming industry where, during the pelting season, it may be necessary to operate the fleshing machine for many hours at a time.

In addition to substantially increasing the life of the motor, the described electric switch mechanism also reduces the danger of injury to the operator. As indicated above, the dual switch arrangement necessitates both switches being on in order to operate the eshing blade. Moreover, the switch mechanism carried on the underside ofthe carriage 18 can only be closed through a positive downward movement of the carriage guide handle 37 and, consequently, the possibility of the blade being inadvertently or accidentally actuated is remote.

Referring now to the upright member 20 which carries the motor unit, the same is rigidly mounted on the top face of the tiltable carriage table 34 and is secured thereto by a bolt 51, projected through a slot 59 in said table, and carries a nut 51', as shown in Fig. 5. The use of a bolt and slot anchoring arrangement permits the sliding adjustment of the upright member 20 with relation to the pelt holding arms 27 and 27' and insures perfect alignment of the same at all times.

The motor unit carried by the upright support member 20 includes a metal casing 21 within which an electric motor is mounted, a blade holder 22, and a tieshing blade 23. Although a wide variety of electric motors can be readily adapted for use in the machine, the conventional jigsaw motor has been found to be especially satisfactory for the reason that its size and reciprocating action are particularly consistent with the design and functional requirements of the present machine.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, the fleshing blade 23 has a concave cutting head, which is designed to conform to the contour of the pelt holding pole 27 which it confronts. The flat body portion of said blade 23 is slidably retained by the flanged plate 22 formed on the motor casing, illustrated in Fig. 4. 'Ihe cutting head of the blade 23 is concave as described and has the end portions of its legs bent to a generally vertical position. The leading edge of said blade is sharpened to provide the -necessary eshing implement. 'I'he drive shaft 33, extending from the motor, is connected to said fleshing blade 23 and drives the same in a short horizontal stroke. The reciprocating blade action thus produced is extremely effective in cutting tlesh and fat tissue from animal pelts and is more ecient, as well as many time; faster, than the manual ileshing means formerly employed.

In practice, the eshing blade, and supporting motor unit 21, are tilted rearwardly to a position wherein said blade engages the pelt to be fleshed, the position and mounting of which pelt will be more fully described hereinafter. The tilting movement of said blade is provided through the tiltable carriage table 34 as previously described, and may be regulated by means of the carriage handle 37, which acts as a lever on said table, thereby permitting the operator to apply the cutting pressure neces'- sary for the particular pelt being eshed. The downward movement of the carriage handle 37 also closes the electric circuit to actuate the tleshing blade, as previously described, thereby accomplishing a dual function.

The pelt holding device generally described above comprises a pair of elongated tapered poles 27 and 27 carried between two end plates 52 and 53, the latter being connected by a bar 54 and supported by a pair of rigid standards 24 and 25 projecting upwardly from the rear of the frame 15. Said poles 27 and 27' are formed of wood or other suitable material, and are provided with extensible leg and tail clamps 55. Each of said poles is designed to wedgingly receive a pelt thereon, the pelts being turned inside out so that the skin is exposed and in position for tleshing.

The poles 27 and 27 are manually revoluble in order that the pelts may be turned by one hand of the operator during the eshing operation, thereby permitting the fleshing of the entire pelt both circumferentially and longitudinally. The eshing blade 23 is mounted on the longiaerea-4s by meansof trunnions 67.1andf67' projectingffrom the ends of said poles and v adapted to be `:received in corresponding holes 68 and 68 formed in said end plate. :The opposite ends of said-'poles similarly carryprojecting trunnions 57 and 57 which are revolubly retained by plate 52. As shown in Fig. 8, the end plate 52 is provided with slots 59 and 59 into which said trunnions 57 and 57 may be inserted. A pair of catch hooks 60 and 60' -are mounted on the outer face of said end plate 52 adjacent said slots. Said hooks 60 and 60 are forcefully maintained in their hooking position by means of spring arms 69 and 69 and are adapted to engage the projecting ends of the trunnions to retain said trunnions in their inserted positions. When it is desired to remove the poles, or either of them, as when a finished pelt is to be removed and replaced on one of the poles, it is merely necessary to force the spring catch hook 60 or 60' out of engagement with its trunnion and to lift the pole from between the end plates.

The general practice with respect to the operation of the improved fleshing machine is to have an assistant place a new, uneshed pelt on the rear pole 27 while the operator removes the esh from the pelt carried by the forward pole Z7. When the operator inishes said pelt he may instantly rotate the pole-holding unit 180 degrees on its pinion axes, thereby moving the rear pole 27', containing the new, unfleshed pelt, to the forward position where it is in position for eshing, while the pole 27, containing the finished pelt, is swung to the rear where the assistant may remove and replace said finished pelt. As a result of this revoluble double pelt holding arrangement, there is a minimal loss of operating time while the pelts are being positioned for fleshing and, consequently, the operator of the machine can esh a considerably greater number of pelts than was formerly possible.

As will best be seen in Fig. 9, a horizontal locking pin 61 is slidably carried on the underside of the inverted L-shaped supporting arm 25 adjacent the end plate 52. Said plate 52 has a pair of diametrically opposed openings 62 and 62 (Fig. 8) therein, either of which may receive and engage said pin 61 to lock the plate and attached pelt holding poles against inadvertent rotation. Said openings are so aligned in the end plate 5.2 that said plate may be locked with either pole 27 or 27 in forward, or operating position with relation to the eshing blade 23. A coiled spring 70 is carried within a casing 63 surrounding the pin 61 and causes said pin to normally assume its projected or locking position. In order `to retract the pin, as when it is desired to rotate the pelt-holding poles for the removal andreplacement of a finished pelt, ythe pin may be pulled out of its retaining hole 62 or 62' by means of a lever 64 pivotally connected to said pin and projecting upwardly from said support arm 25, the aforementioned spring Yreturning said pin to its locking position upon the release of said lever. As will be readily appreciated, this retractable locking pin device serves to secure the pelt holding poles in operative position, and permits the exertion of considerable cutting pressure against the pelt being fleshed, thereby enhancing the eiciency and effectiveness of the eshing action.

Various changes and `modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention as above described, and all of such changes are contemplated as may come within the scope of the claims.

What is claimed as the invention is:

1. In an animal pelt eshing machine including a base; an elongated pelt mounting member; a carriage mounted on the base for movement longitudinal of the axis of the pelt mounting member, said carriage having a pivotally rnountedv table. portion. tiltable in l aplane *transverse to fthe axis -o'ff the pelt mounting member; auf-'electric' -motor "mountedon vthe tiltable ltable port-ionV of the carriage and having a drive shaft; an'da fleshingblade carried' by said shaft to operatively enga-ge andlongitudinallyftrav- -erse a pelt on said mounting. membcruponthelongi- 4tudinal movement of said carriagefonthe base', the pres- ;s-ure contact ofthefeshingblade relative .to a-fpelt on the mounting member being regulatable by a tilting movement of the carriage table.

2. in an animal pelt eshing machine including a base; an elongated pelt mounting member carried by the base; a carriage mounted on the -base -for movement longitudinal of the axis of the pelt mounting member, said carriage lhaving a pivotally mounted table portion tiltable in a plane transverse to the axis of the pelt mounting member; an electric motor mounted on the tiltable table portion of said carriage and having a reciprocal motion transmitting shaft; an electric circuit including the motor; a fleshing blade carried by the motor shaft to operatively engage and longitudinally traverse a pelt on said mounting member upon a longitudinal movement of said carriage on the base when the table portion of the carriage is tilted toward the pelt mounting member, the pressure contact of the fleshing blade relative to a pelt on the mounting member being regulatable by the tilting movement of the carriage table portion; and a circuit breaker in said electric circuit associated with said carria-ge and operated by the tilting movement of said carriage table portion, the tilting of said carriage table portion toward the pelt mounting member closing the circuit to operate lthe motor and knife, and the return of said table portion to its normal position opening the circuit.

3. A machine for fleshing animal pelts comprising: a base; an electric motor mounted on said base; a mov-l able fleshing blade attached to and driven by said motor; a pair of spaced support arms attached to said base; a pair of end plates revolubly carried by said support arms; and a plurality of pelt mounting poles interposed between and revolubly and removably carried by said end plates adjacent the fleshing blade.

4. In lan animal pelt fleshing machine including a base; an electric motor longitudinally movably mounted on said base and having a reciprocal motion transmitting shaft; a plurality of pelt-holding poles individually and jointly revolubly mounted adjacent said motor; and a eshmg blade carried by the motor shaft to operatively engage and longitudinally traverse pelts mounted on one of said poles upon longitudinal movement of said motor on said base.

5. A machine for fleshing animal pelts compnsing: a base; a prime mover mounted on said base and having a motion transmitting member; a eshing blade carried by said motionjrtransmitting member; a movable multiple pelt holding spool; and means for locking said spool in a selected position.

6. YIn an apparatus for fleshing animal pelts: a base;

spaced supports thereon; a pair of pelt holding poles interposed between and removably jointly movably carried by said spaced supports; a tiltable table carried by said base; an electric motor mounted on said tiltable table; a pelt eshing tool associated with and driven by said moto-r, said tiltable table being tiltable in a plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of said pelt holding poles to permit the operative engagement of said tool with a pelt mounted on one of said poles; an electric circuit including said motor; and a circuit controller in said circuit and operatively associated with said tiltable table, whereby when said tiltable table is tilted in one direction the circuit will be broken.

'7. A machine for eshing animal pelts compri-sing: a base; an electric motor mounted on said base; a movable fleshing blade attached to and driven by said motor; a pair of spaced support arms attached to said base; a pair of end plates revolubly carried by said support arms; and a plurality of pelt-mounting poles interposed between and revolubly carriedby said end plates adjacent the eshing blade, one end of each of said poles being removable from its end plate mounting.

8. A machine for ileshing animal pelts comprising: a prime mover having a motion transmitting member; movable eshing means operatively connected to and driven References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Fredrickson Nov. 3, 1959 

